Is it a good way to gauge the enrolled voters’ opinion? Or should they just read any of the opinion polls that were done for the past ten years and realise that people want and have wanted this to happen and save the $122,000,000 (or more) it will cost to run this unnecessary opinion poll?

I have a few problems with this little proposition the government has put forward.

This opinion poll is non-binding meaning, if people in a certain electorate vote to amend the law (“YES”), but the representative thinks two people of the same-sex are icky and need a new, heavy Bible, then they can vote against it in Parliament. If it was binding, that would make me feel a lot better about it. It’s still an awful idea–unless they add something else to the “ballot” (or questionnaire, really) like euthanasia.

This opinion poll is a hotbed for disrespect on BOTH sides of the fence. There is going to be a lot of nastiness, disrespect, and hatred being spewed out from this. I can’t really see a respectful debate happening from a lot of people.

The law, when it was changed from neutral to a man + woman, wasn’t changed in the same process. No one asked the public what they thought. No money was spent for one person to make the decision for the rest of us. It was changed in one day (which COULD BE DONE TODAY IF ONLY THE LIBERALS WOULD ALLOW IT) by someone who is afraid of change.

This opinion poll (and I’m calling it that because that’s what it is–an expensive opinion poll, but I’ll get to that later) is not compulsory like other elections are. Since it’s not classified as a “real” election, people living overseas can’t just waltz into an embassy in another country and vote. That’s a big problem for those men and women who had to leave Australia to marry their partner because they couldn’t do it here.

It’s expensive. I’d much, much, MUCH rather see my tax money being spent on something else than an opinion poll. There are so many other things that money can be spent on:

Health care

Homelessness

Animal welfare

Domestic abuse

Drug/alcohol programs

Domestic violence programs

Training new medical staff

Funding aged care and senior pensioners

Renewable energy

Mental health services

Disability services

Child protection services

Better communication infrastructure

Better transportation infrastructure

…you get my point

This opinion poll will be rife with fraud. The Prime Minister said in the past that would be a big problem with it. So now, he’s okay with it? Is that right? Because he knows that if he goes along with a free vote, he’ll lose power since it’s the zealots who are keeping him in power and they’re the ones pulling the strings?

As a gay man myself, I feel very unhappy, upset, and angry because it came to this point. If the PM would allow a free vote, it could happen today, but as I said, he has to make the religious nut jobs who keep him in power happy. I guess what I’m saying is that he has no backbone, he’s weak, and doesn’t stand up for what he, himself, believes is right.

I really hope that the government party in power right now get voted out next time. I’m tired of them. I’m tired of this. I hope he loses his job and quits politics. Marriage equality should have happened a LONG TIME AGO in this country.

Though I don’t like it, I’ll still participate in this little poll. I still think it’s incredibly dumb, expensive, and a waste of money but if that’s what it takes to get marriage equality to happen in this country, then I’ll do it. To me, boycotting this stupid process isn’t worth it.